list of black nfl head coaches

Marvin Lewis, who coached the Cincinnati Bengals for 16 seasons from 2003 to 2018, is among the current and former NFL coaches who have denounced the league for racial injustices and told NBC Sports that Black coaches have been getting sham interviews like those alleged by Brian Flores for years. from Todd Haley that season when he was let go after a 5-8 start. Thank you for subscribing! Todd Bowles was a head coach in the NFL for five seasons, beginning with the Miami Dolphins in the 2011 season and four other seasons leading the New York Jets from 2015 to 2018. Who are the NFL's Black head coaches? Herman Herm Edwards, largely seen as a mentor to many current and former NFL players, coached the New York Jets from 2001-2005 and the Kansas City Chiefs from 2006 to 2008, according to the Pro Football Reference website. He was replaced by Vic Fangio who was fired on Sunday. Crennel finished out the season with the interim tag and went 2-1. Record: 40-33-1, 1-2 in the playoffs. He was named the Sporting News Coach of the Year in 1995. All Rights Reserved. He went 36-30 during his tenure and has been replaced by a litany of coaches that havent been able to get the Lions to sniff the playoffs since he was fired. Notably, Jackson responded to Flores lawsuit by claiming he was subjected to similar treatment described in the complaint. Specifically, Flores claims hes had multiple incidents of racial discrimination that involved several teams, as well as coaches and executives around the league. For perspectives sake, the NFL entered Black History Month 2023 with just one single Black head coach despite its vow a decade earlier to increase diversity among its head and assistant coaches. Must Black folks be head coaches too, critics might be wondering? Like our content? Is it because the NFL is an organization akin to slavery, like blacklisted free-agent quarterback Colin Kaepernick said after he was effectively excommunicated from the league following his silent kneeling protest to demonstrate against the police brutality of Black people? He had an aggregate record of 36-28, a winning percentage of .563 the best winning percentage of any Lions Head Coach since the 1950s, Flores lawsuit said in part. Either way, Flores. Anthony Lynn was a head coach in the NFL for two teams over the course of five seasons. He ended his career with a 113-94 overall record. Mike Tomlin, who, as of the time of this list being published, was the lone Black head coach in the NFL, has led the Pittsburgh Steelers for 15 seasons since 2007. Over a nearly 20-year career as a coach in the NFL, Leslie Frazier was the head coach of the Minnesota Vikings from 2010 to 2013. Shane Steichen (left) and Jonathan Gannon will be among the top candidates in the next hiring cycle. 12. Dennis Greeen was the Vikings Head Coach from 1992 to 2001, and his 97 regular-season wins rank second in franchise history. As a player, Ryans was a two-time Pro Bowler and is still the Texans all-time tackles leader. We should be able to have a system where the best person for the job gets hired, not the person you know the best. Which again, through experience, I've learned those are the key indicators for success. His saying was, "It's great to have a mentor, but it's even better to be a mentor." Eventually he became head coach of the New York Jets and Kansas City Chiefs in the 2000s. Shane Steichen, Offensive Coordinator, Eagles. Download Our New Praise 107.9 Radio Mobile App For Your Smartphone! Tomlin showed up in Pittsburgh after Bill Cowher was 8-8 in his final season and one year removed from winning a Super Bowl. He served as the defensive coordinator for the Miami Dolphins under then-head coach Brian Flores during the 2021 season. said his lawsuit will not be deterred regardless of whether he is or isnt an NFL head coach next season. Jackson, who is the current coach of Grambling State, was the head coach of the Raiders (2011) and Browns (2016-2018). After leading the Buffalo Bills for one season in 2016. Just 25 of them have been Black. In 1921, Coach Pollard became the first African-American head coach in the NFL, coaching the Akron Pros. He led the Oakland Raiders during the 2011 season and was the head coach for the Cleveland Browns from 2016 to 2018. Mostly, Pollard would see the work and sacrifice he and other Black coaches have made wasn't. Owners and front office people who are in charge of hiring, they found loopholes in the rule. 4. There are just SIX head coaches of color out of 32 in a league with a 70% non-white player base. These days, he runs a sports law program at Villanova University and hosts the Business of Sports podcast. Schad interviewed Herm Edwards, he played in the NFL in the seventies and eighties. | Source: Wesley Hitt / Getty. Studesville was the interim head coach of the Broncos in 2010, going 1-3 to finish out the season. Edwards spent eight seasons as a head coach in the NFL, running the Jets (2001-2005) and Chiefs (2006-2008). MORE: The NFL Has A Major Black Head Coach Problem. The Rooney Rule was enacted in 2003 as part of the NFL's plan to "develop a deep, sustainable talent pool at all levels of the organization" and "increase the number of minorities hired in head coach, general manager and executive positions.". That certainly lines up with what Flores lawsuit is alleging. But as we see now, just like anything, people that have children and even to yourself, when someone says you have to do something, you're obviously automatically going to have a bias towards it. Heres Every Black Head Coach In NFL History In the meantime, keep reading to get familiar with the dozens of Black people who have worked as NFL head coaches in the leagues more than 100-year history. Tony Dungy led the Bucs to a Wild-Card Game. Overall of the on field coaches in the NFL, it's something like 43% are coaches of color. Anthony Lynn was a head coach in the NFL for two teams over the course of five seasons. Jackson claims the Browns incentivized losing while he was head coach in order to increase the teams odds in the NFL Draft. I'm proud to report today, my classes are basically 50/50. Mike Singletary was the head coach of the San Francisco 49ers for three seasons from 2008 to 2010. The rule was named after Dan Rooney, then owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers. The rule was expanded in 2009 to include general managers as well as other front-office positions. Cliff Anderson (American football) Darren Arbet. Ray Rhodes coached in various NFL capacities for nearly 40 years, including a five-year run as head coach for the Philadelphia Eagles and later with the Green Bay Packers. In seven seasons with the Colts, Dungy was 92-33 as he made the playoffs every season and won Super Bowl XLI. He went 2-6 in eight games. Brian Flores was the head coach of the Miami Dolphins from 2019 through the 2021 season, after which he was fired. And while that happens, the lack of Black coaches will be the most discussed talking point. Wilkes was not retained and Smith was fired. Vance Joseph, who was the head coach for the Denver Broncos for the 2017 and 2018 seasons and is reportedly a candidate for the Miami Dolphins head coaching job that was left vacant after Brian Flores was fired. So you can look at different ways to judge minorities. In 2000, there were three Black coaches in the league. Nancy Armour USA TODAY 0:00 1:51 The. Fritz Pollard. But the league still has plenty of veteran greybeards that have seen success at the very highest level. Over a nearly 20-year career as a coach in the NFL, Leslie Frazier was the head coach of the Minnesota Vikings from 2010 to 2013. He was also a terrific running back, earning All-America honors in 1916 while playing for Brown University. Having them sit in non-interview settings with the decision makers, presidents, and owners, everything I've talked about. Caldwell took over for Dungy with ease as he posted a 14-2 record in his first season as the Colts made it all the way to Super Bowl XLIV where they were upset by Drew Brees and the Saints. 12. Brian Flores was the head coach of the Miami Dolphins from 2019 through the 2021 season, after which he was fired. Now-former Head Coach Brian Flores of the Miami Dolphins talks with an official during a game against the Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium on January 2, 2022, in Nashville, Tennessee. He is currently Michigan State's head coach. He was also named assistant head coach of the Jaguars for the 2012 season, according to the Pro Football History website. Green made the playoffs in eight of 10 seasons in Minnesota, with his most memorable campaign coming in 1998. His teams won division titles four times and advanced to NFC Championship Games after the 1998 and 2000 seasons, the team wrote on its website. I'm James Brown, and as always, be well. He lost his single game with Buffalo and finished 33-31 with Los Angeles. That brings the total head-coaching jobs available to six, as the Las Vegas Raiders (Jon Gruden), Jacksonville Jaguars (Urban Meyer) and Denver Broncos (Vic Fangio) had fired their HCs prior to Black Monday. Notably, Jackson responded to Flores lawsuit by claiming he was subjected to similar treatment described in the complaint. Of course, that type of logic is counterproductive and completely beside the point, what with the racial discrimination lawsuit filed by a former Black head coach and alleging that the NFLs ownership is colluding to keep teams head coaches as white as possible. Smith coached the Bears for nearly a decade (2004-2012) before a brief stint with the Buccaneers (2014-2015). He was named the AP Coach of the Year in 2009. Dennis Greeen was the Vikings Head Coach from 1992 to 2001, and his 97 regular-season wins rank second in franchise history. Del Alexander. Wilkes was not retained. Perry Fewell was the head coach of the Buffalo Bills for a single season in 2019. Hopefully, DeMecos hiring is the catalyst for more Black coaches in the NFL. Smith was hired in Chicago after the Bears were 7-9 the year before, with Smith going 5-11 in his first season. Check out the FULL list below! Emmitt Thomas Source:Getty Emmitt Thomas was named interim head coach of the Atlanta Falcons in the middle of the 2007 season after a sudden resignation left the position vacant. Mike Tomlin, who, as of the time of this list being published, was the lone Black head coach in the NFL, has led the Pittsburgh Steelers for 15 seasons since 2007. Sports news website the Ringer reported that Flores was not fired because of his coaching but rather because of his troubled relationship with team owner Stephen Ross, a supporter of former President Donald Trump who has refuted claims of racial discrimination. Gerald Alexander. Interestingly enough, Caldwell was mentioned in Brian Flores lawsuit as an example of a Black NFL head coach who was fired in spite of the success he enjoyed. Whaley is part of a group that launched One Global Culture Events, which helped minority candidates in pro sports connect with upper management. Tomlin has been the coach of the Steelers since 2007, making him the second-longest tenured coach in the NFL behind only Bill Belichick. and over the next 13 seasons, which included seven years with the Indianapolis Colts, he racked up 148 total victories. Tomlin is one of the best coaches in the NFL, at playing as the underdog which means he is still a big game coach that can match skills and wit with the best of them. That makes grand total of three in a 32-team league where 60% of players are Black. Green made the playoffs in eight of 10 seasons in Minnesota, with his most memorable campaign coming in 1998. The Vikings went 15-1 that season and racked up 556 points, which set an NFL record at the time.. Last year, Ryan served as defensive coordinator for the San Francisco 49ers who had one of the best defenses in the league. Tenure: Four-plus seasons (71 games). It is what it is and that's the system, but that doesn't mean that it should keep perpetuating that system. Andrew Brandt agrees that the league has a long way to go and suggested similar programs to the one Whaley describes, but warned that the issue is complex and without easy answers. In the meantime, keep reading to get familiar with the dozens of Black people who have worked as NFL head coaches in the leagues more than 100-year history. The new wave of head-coaching hires in the NFL has seen a trend toward younger, offensive-minded leading men getting the top jobs. I always used to ask questions like this, what do you do when you get up in the morning? But, if history is any indication and it is thats far from a guarantee. If they could bring that character into our building, others would pick up on those same qualities. Mike Tomlin, who, as of the time of this list being published, was the lone Black head coach in the NFL, has led the Pittsburgh Steelers for 15 seasons since 2007. And since America loves to ignore blatant racism unless they can watch it on video or it can be quantified into numbers, Deadspin took a look at the plight of Black coaches in the NFL over the last 20-plus years. Hubbard Alexander. He has never had a losing season in his career, going 156-89-2 through Week 6 of the 2022 season. Yeah, I think the obvious point is that people tend to hire people like themselves, and that's not just true in the NFL, that's not just true in sports. The NFL's 32 teams began the season in full on Sunday with only three Black head coaches and two Black general managers in a league where the players are roughly 70% Black. The following year the team was 11-5 and Smith won Coach of the Year. I think a lot of it is the underpinning of a lot of the reporting that we've done, which is just unconscious bias. Bowles has coached the Dolphins (2011) and Jets (2015-2018), and he is the current coach of the Buccaneers. Hopefully, DeMecos hiring is the catalyst for more Black coaches in the NFL. Mike Tomlin, who, as of the time of this list being published, was the lone Black head coach in the NFL, has led the Pittsburgh Steelers for 15 seasons since 2007. Nonetheless, Mr. Caldwell was fired the day after his fourth season.. To be sure, the NFL has had more than 500 head coaches over the course of more than a century of competition. Mel Tucker was named the interim head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars for the final five games of the 2011 season. And what goes into hiring a head coach? Brian Flores, who used to be head coach of the Miami Dolphins, filed a class-action lawsuit against the NFL claiming there is racial discrimination in the hiring process. Yeah, if I bought something for a billion dollars, which is the minimum going price these days, I'd want to be able to hire who I want to hire is what I'm thinking is going through these owners heads. It's Sunday, February 5th, 2023. Lewis was hired by the Bengals after a 2-14 campaign. There are just 32 NFL head coaching jobs, six or seven become vacant every year.